Spraying device



March 16, 1954 D ETAL 2,672,143

SPRAYING DEVICE Filed Dec. 5, 1952 ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 16, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Joseph K.-'Gold,Holy0ke, and Harold D.

Rickless, 'Longmeadow, Mass.

Application December 5, 1952, Serial No. 324,242 2 Claims. (01. 128-239) This invention relates to an improved spraying device which is particularly adapted for use inside the human mouth for treating the teeth with various solutions, such for example as those containing sodium fluoride, sodium perborate, chlorophyll, and salt.

The invention has for an object the provision of an improved spraying device, consisting of a tube of suitable flexible material bent to form two loops, which may be placed in the human mouth and disposed partly on one and partly on the other side of a row of teeth and which has longitudinally-spaced perforations for directing sprays of liquid against the teeth, and a clasp for retaining the tube in double-loop formation and enabling slidable movement of the tube to vary the size of the loops to lit the mouth of the patient.

The invention has for another object, the provision in a spraying device of the class described, of an external longitudinal rib on the tube, which is slidably engaged in groves in the clasp in order to hold the tube from twisting and thereby changing the direction of the sprays emitted through the perforations.

The invention will be disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a spraying device embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view illustrating the application of the device for the treatment of teeth in the human mouth; and

Fig. 5 is a small-scale view showing one way in which the spraying device may be supplied with liquid.

Referring to these drawings and first to Fig. 1 thereof, the spraying device is made up from a suitable length of flexible tubing, which is made of suitable material and which is bent into the form shown. One example of a material that has been found suitable is the plastic known in the trade as Lucite. The tube has two substantially parallel portions 2 and these are inter connected by two loops 3, which have a common curved portion l crossing, and extending transversely of, the parallel portions 2. The tube is held in the described double-loop formation by a suitable clasp 5, which will enable the parallel portions 2 to be moved outwardly to decrease the size of the loops, as indicated by the dotted lines 6, or inwardly to increase the size of the loops, as indicated by the dotted lines 1. In this way,

the spraying device may be adjusted to fit the mouth of the patient being treated.

The spraying device is applied in the mouth as shown in Fig. 4. Each loop 3 encompasses substantially half the teeth t. The large curved portion, which forms the outer part of both loops, lies outside the complete row of teeth and the two smaller curved portions of the loop lie inside the row of teeth, each covering approximately half the row. The parallel portions 2 cross above the center of the curved portion 4, where as shown, the device is applied to the lower teeth. The spraying device will, of course, be inverted, when applied to the upper teeth. The confronting walls of the two loops are provided with a suitable number of longitudinally-spaced perforations 8, whereby liquid supplied to the ends of the tube may be emitted in a series of sprays s directed against the teeth.

The form of clasp 5, herein illustrated, is made of molded plastic material. It has a lower portion 9 with a passage it therethrough, receiv ing the tube. This passage is circular in cross section, except for a slot II which permits passage of the spray from the perforations 8 in that part of the tube which extends through the portion 9. The passage it is curved to conform to the curvature of the central part of the curved portion 4 of the tube. The tube closely fits the passage 9 and is frictionally held in place in the clasp. The clasp has an upper portion 12 which contains two parallel passages I3, one for each of the parallel portions 2 of the tube. These portions 2 closely fit their pasages and are frictionally held in place therein. The portions 2 are, however, slidable in the passage !3 and may be pushed inwardly or pulled outwardly, as above described, to change the size of the loops. The passage !3 is long enough to enable the necessary movement of the tube to vary the size of the loops without pulling the portions 2 outwardly far enough to uncover any of the perforations 8.

Preferably, the tube has an external longitudinally-extending rib I4 which is received as shown in grooves formed in the walls of passages lli and E3. The engagement of the rib in these grooves holds the tube from twisting and thereby altering the direction of the sprays.

Liquid may be supplied to the spraying device in any suitabl way. One example is shown in Fig. 5. As there shown, the two ends of tube I are connected by a coupling is to one end of a tube H, the other end of which is adapted for connection, as by a coupling I9, to a water supply faucet f, which may be of the mixing type, whereby the temperature of the water may be controlled as desired by adjustment of the valves '0. These valves also enable the pressure of the liquid to be varied to control the sprays s. Interposed in hose I1 is a casing l8 which may contain in suitable form the chemical substance to be mixed with the water. As the water flows through casing l8 it dissolves a certain amount of the chemical and the resulting solution is carried into the spraying device.

The invention thus provides an improved spraying device which is particularly useful in the human mouth for treatment of the teeth and which may be readily adjusted in a simple manner to make it lit the mouth of the particular patient being treated.

What is claimed is:

1. A spraying device, comprising, a flexible tube having substantially parallel portions interconnected by two loops having a common curved portion crossing and extending transversely of the parallel portions, said tube having perforations spaced longitudinally along the inner walls of the loops, and, a clasp attached to the central part of said curved portion and slidably receiving and frictionally retaining said parallel portions, the size of the loops being decreased or increased accordingly as said parallel portions are pulled outwardly or pushed inwardly relatively to the clasp.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in which said tube has an external longitudinallyextending rib and said clasp has grooves in which said rib is slidably engaged and by which the tube is held from twisting.

JOSEPH K. GOLD. HAROLD D. RICKLESS.

No references cited. 

